The Hindu : Sachin one of the three great contemporary batsmen: Lee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 17, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

Sachin one of the three great contemporary batsmen: Lee

Johannesburg Feb. 16. Australian fast bowler Brett Lee considers `Little Master' Sachin Tendulkar among three great contemporary batsmen in the world.

``I rate him up there with Brian Lara and Steve Waugh as the best batsmen in the world, and it's always fantastic to have an opportunity to bowl against guys of that calibre. Just with the mannerisms he has at the crease, it's obvious how full of confidence he is. He's very strong off his pads and you have to be careful what line you bowl to him,'' Lee wrote in his syndicated column.

``Even when you're playing against someone like Sachin, it is important that you don't focus entirely on them. There are teams in this World Cup with one or two ``guns'', but if you concentrate solely on them, someone else in their batting line-up will get you," he said.

``There's already been some great cricket played and quite a few upsets in the tournament, especially the West Indies' win over South Africa in the first game of the cup,'' the Australian fast bowler said.

Lee, expressing sadness over Jonty Rhodes's decision to retire after he was injured in the Proteas' match against Kenya, said he knew the entire Australian team would miss the competitiveness and enthusiasm Rhodes had brought to Australia-South Africa matches over the years.

Talking about Shane Warne, Lee described him as a great team man, who is ready to sacrifice for his side. By pulling out of the tour, Warne proved to the world that he always puts the team first.

``As soon as Warne found out about the positive test, he called us together, made the hard decision and withdrew from the World Cup so we wouldn't be distracted by off-field issues later in the tournament,'' Lee disclosed.

``It was a huge call and the boys are backing him 100 per cent to get back into the side as soon as possible. We've lost a key member — an icon of Australian cricket — but we're doing our best to put it behind us because that's what Warne wants us to do. Brad Hogg obviously did a great job in his first game with that added pressure on his shoulders, and all our bowlers are ready to shoulder the extra load,'' he added.

However, defending the spinner, Lee said Warne's situation proved that just how careful sportspeople have to be when taking any kind of medication. ``Obviously, Warney was a bit naive but wasn't trying to enhance his performance or use a masking agent to cover something else,'' Lee wrote. — UNI

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